Time For The Next Step

After posting over 100 million dollars, and an plus four ERA, Daisuke Matsuzaka has been considered by many as a bust and a bad investment. Though this isn't the universal opinion, most in Boston don't know what to expect from the the Japanese stand-out this season. One thing is for sure, you can expect a significant increase in adaptation.

During the 2007 playoffs, I, among many other Red Sox faithful were cursing the day the Sox posted 52 million on this pitcher. Dice-K imploded during the playoffs making many wonder if they should go about other options and skipping his turn in the rotation all together. Though he had confidence, his pitching was in disarray. This year we are, and should be seeing a whole new Dice-K.

After two starts in the young season, Matsuzaka has lived up to the billing he was given last year. He has gone about the two start-two country openers by going 1-0 with 15 strikeouts and a 2.31 ERA in two Red Sox victories. I compare this season for Daisuke as last season for Josh Beckett. Beckett came to the American League in 2006 and was plagued by injuries and homers. He never seemed comfortable against his new foes in the American East. Then last season, he became comfortable and knew what to expect, resulting in a massive improvement in his stats and almost led him to the Cy Young. Dice-K had similar struggles last year as he tried to transition not from a different league, but a different culture as well.

Throughout the season Matsuzaka was having trouble adjusting to the American culture. Things from the language to the softness of the bed were all factors in his troubles. With the birth of his child in March, and one year in America under his belt, look for Dice-K to make a Beckett-like leap to the top of American league starters and make a run for some hardware at the end of the year. He has to step up this year with a young staff and injuries lingering with some of the Sox's normally reliable pitchers.

A reasonable stat line would lead you to expect: 16-10, 205 K's, and a 3.65 ERA
My prediction for a new and improved Dice-K: 18-8, 227 K's, and a 2.89 ERA

So here's to the Sox turning around the sweep at the hand's of the Blue Jays with a sweep of their own against the struggling Tigers in their home opener on Tuesday the 8th. The starter.......none other than Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Let's hope for some sun and as always GO SOX.

Photo Credits:
http://blogs.dailyillini.com/justbaseball/files/2007/04/dice-k.jpg
http://soxblog.mlblogs.com/photos/uncategorized/daisuke_matsuzaka.jpg
http://thestartingfive.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/josh-beckett5.jpg

The Red Sox-Yankees Rivalry Takes The Next Step

Sure some may believe in the Curse of the Bambino, or other weird occurrences between the two foes of the Sox and Yanks, but this story is unbelievable.

From the time Boston sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for the means of financing a play, these two teams have been bitter rivals. Evidently the rivalry has extended to the animal kingdom now as well.

During an April 3rd tour of Fenway Park, a young girl was attacked by a Red Tailed Hawk.

That wasn't the big story. The real irony comes with the girl herself. The girl was one Alexa Rodriguez, yes, a female named version of All-Star MVP third baseman for the hated Yankees. Not only does she share sort of a namesake with the slugger, but also her age, 13, is the number the ball player wears on his back. To make things even weirder, the girl's friends nicknamed her A-Rod and she hails from Bristol Connecticut, the heart of Yankee country.

Some conspiracy theorists have stated that Red Sox management had trained the hawk to attack the Yankee third baseman, but the animal misfired by going after the girl. Others speculate that the Yankees now will have their own animals at Yankee Stadium to attack unsuspecting Sox fans.

The hawk in question has been nesting at Fenway for a number of years without attack until Thursday. Though some will say the hawk is just a die hard Sox fan, in reality the attack probably stemmed from the bird protecting its egg.

This is just another twist between these rivals that can only enhance the tension when the Red Sox host the Yankees on April 11.

No word if the hawk will make an appearance and/or finish the job on the real A-Rod (he sends his prayers)...Only time will tell.

Photo Credits:
http://listverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/ruthbaberedsox.jpg
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/04/03/hawk.fenway.ap/index.html
http://www.courant.com/sports/baseball/ny-sphawk0404pg,0,5866197.photogallery

Nostradamus Time...

It is just about the time of year when every so-called sports expert makes their prediction of how this 162-game baseball season will play out. When teams like the Rockies make a surprise appearance into the playoffs, is almost single handily destroys most predictions. So, with baseball being almost as unpredictable as the NCAA basketball tournament, I decided to make my decision by using the only sane way: by letting MLB The Show simulate that season for me and give me the results. So after waiting a painstaking 10 minutes, here are the results:

(X-denotes division winner, Y-denotes wild card winner)
American League-
East-
X- New York Yankees
Y- Boston Red Sox
Toronto Blue Jays
Tampa Bay Rays
Baltimore Orioles

Central-
X- Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Minnesota Twins
Kansas City Royals
Chicago White Sox

West-
X- Seattle Mariners
Oakland Athletics
Texas Rangers
Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim

National League-
East-
X- New York Mets
Atlanta Braves
Washington Nationals
Philadelphia Phillies
Florida Marlins

Central-
St. Louis Cardinals
Chicago Cubs
Milwaukee Brewers
Cincinnati Reds
Houston Astros
Pittsburgh Pirates

West-
X- Los Angeles Dodgers
Y- San Diego Padres
Colorado Rockies
Arizona Diamondbacks
San Francisco Giants

Divisional Round-
Yankees over Indians in 3
Red Sox over Mariners in 5
Mets over Padres in 3
Dodgers over Cardinals in 4

Championship Round-
Yankees over Red Sox in 6
Mets over Dodgers in 5

World Series-
Yankees over Mets in 6

MVP- Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols
Cy Young- Scott Kazmir and Johan Santana
Rookie Of The Year- Daric Barton and Josh Anderson

Of course, being a Sox fan and a die hard Prince Fielder fan, I couldn't go without making some predictions of my very own

Red Sox over Tigers in 5
Yankees over Mariners in 4
Mets over Dodgers in 3
D-Backs over Brewers in 4

Red Sox over Yankees in 7
Mets over D-Backs in 6

Mets over Red Sox in 7 (minus a Bill Buckner type event)

MVP- David Ortiz and Prince Fielder
Cy Young- Justin Verlander and Johan Santana
Rookie Of The Year- Evan Longoria and Joey Votto

So with that, there are some predictions, and if the video game out picks me then I'll have to try simulating by NCAA bracket for next year. For those of you who don't like my D-Backs pick, see exhibit 1.



Photo Credits-
http://ps3.psu.com/media/mlb-07-the-show-/mlb-the-show-boxart.jpg
http://img.webring.com/r/y/yankeering/logo
http://new-york-mets.visit-new-york-city.com/ny-mets-3d-logo.jpg
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Prince-Fielder-is-on-an-all-sunflower-seed-diet?urn=mlb,67984

A Prank For The Next Generation....

In this world of fast-paced hectic schedules, I think I can speak for us all and say that sometimes we need a break. I too feel this way and as a result I'm going to stray away from sports for a bit and move in a topic more serious then one can imagine. If you don't know what I'm talking about, click here now.

I assume all of you have now been at least brought up to speed if not crying in agony. This is a craze that is slowly taking over the nation. I discovered this a month back and have not gotten enough, constantly getting my friends and making them wish they had never clicked on that link. Though I just recently found out about this, this video's success will be celebrating it's one year anniversary this May. It even has a website dedicated to the phenomenon. Its humble beginnings were with wise asses trying to get into the Punk'd game by preying on unexpected people looking for a movie trailer or game clip. Based on duckrolling, where people would ask for a link to a picture and get a duck on wheel, Rickrolling has now become a mainstream success, much in part due to the pseudo holiday of April Fool's Day.

As most of the world knows, April 1st is known as April Fool's Day, or some variation in other parts of the world, where one person will play a prank on another to try and get them to believe it. There has always been some great pranks on this day, but I think YouTube has set the bar in video pranking. Upon visiting the website on the 1st and clicking on any of the featured videos, you were brought to this wonderful video. Though the video says it has 1.6 million views, the real number could actually be 20 times higher, as YouTube disabled their views counter. Other similar attempts were made be popular sites, but in my eyes, none beat that of YouTube's amazing prank.

So whenever you get a link to something, think twice, or else you may be seduced by Rick Astley's voice once again.

For more pranking videos here and here.
(Both may be offensive to some)
Photo credits to:
http://personales.ya.com/thellouman/duckroll.jpg
http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w234/cherrycodes/msbg/rickroll_chart.jpg

Spring Is In The Air...

When ever someone mentions University of Maine athletics, almost instantly, views of hockey players are conjured up. Even when asking people with differing views of Maine sports, say like Downeast Mainers, women's basketball may become the vision. Though these sports have and will certainly have their place to shine in the Maine sport pantheon, one athletic program seems to be missing from our minds: the baseball team.

Few know the history that goes along with the Maine baseball program, which in its heyday was comparable or even overshadowed the hockey program. The program really took off with Coach John Winkin, who coached the Black Bears from 1975 to 1996, leading them to the pinnacle of college baseball, the College World Series, a Maine record six times. Though Maine never won the title like their hockey counterparts, the dominance the baseball team was able to accomplish was amazing. With Maine's home field covered by snow for most of the year, and most of Maine's schedule (higher than 75%) being road games, it is just jaw dropping that they could contend with schools that can play outside year round. The program has also had its fair share of names make it big.


Mike Bordick, a former Maine shortstop for Winterport, went on to have a long and successful career in the MLB and even replaced the great Cal Ripkin Jr. at shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles.


Mark Sweeney, outfielder, was a standout for the Black Bears and has had an amazing run in the MLB up to this current season. Sweeney has been widely considered by most in majors as one of the best pinch hitters in the game.


When talking about greats in Maine baseball, one cannot forget Billy Swift. Swift was a standout pitcher for the Black Bears and was drafted in the first round of the MLB draft (second pick overall). Swift's career achievements include leading the league in ERA in 1992 and also winning 21 games in 1993 for the San Fransisco Giants.

As Maine opens Mahaney Diamond on April 4th, be sure to watch out for young rising stars that could join the ranks of these Black Bear greats. Maine's incoming class was ranked third best in the northeast and should help Maine go for their goal of going back the College World Series. Just don't forget when the players step on the field for the first time Friday, of the history that has already graced that very field by so many.

Pictures credited to:
http://membres.lycos.fr/guydoune/images/BORDICK.JPG
http://www.pe.com/imagesdaily/2007/08-15/astros_dodgers_baseball_1_400.jpg
http://people.maine.com/publius/almanac/encycweb/images/bbswiftb.jpg

Glory, Glory Man. United!

After a four year hiatus, Manchester United won their first Premier League title last season. The English giants look ready to pounce and reclaim their spot of best soccer club in the world.

The Red Devils took one giant leap forward to doing so by putting on a clinic today by beating Roma in Rome during a Champions League quarterfinal with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo (a tournament best) and Wayne Rooney. With two valuable away goals under their belt, it seems to be just a formality that in eight days after their return leg in Old Trafford, United will slip into the semifinals for the first time in years.

To make things even better for Manchester fans, they are currently in first in league play by 5 points, with six games to go. With the lone relevant Ronaldo (Cristiano) lighting up the score board, mixed with the other young stand-outs of Wayne Rooney and new acquisition Carlos Tevez, any team to face the Red Devils will be hard pressed to come out on top. Look for more domination of Europe to come as United will once again reign supreme at the top of world club soccer.


http://www.sportinglife.com/football/cups/championsleague